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17 Nov 2003 : Column 514W—continued
Working Time Directive
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her oral answer of 6 November, if she will negotiate the maintenance of the UK opt-out of the 48 hour limit under Article 18 of the Working Time Directive before 23 November. [137819]
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Ms Hewitt: The European Commission intends to issue an initial Communication on the Working Time opt-out, the definition of Working Time with regard to on-call time and the Working Time reference period, around the end of November. We are not expecting the Communication to contain any firm proposals. There will then follow a consultation period before the Commission produce formal proposals. The Government will fully engage in this process, and will seek to ensure that the outcome safeguards choice for individuals over the hours they work, whilst ensuring their employment rights are protected.
CABINET OFFICE
Duchy's Benevolent Fund
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the organisations located within the boundaries of Pendle Borough Council that have received grants from the Duchy's Benevolent Fund since January 2000. [138104]
Mr. Alexander: I am not a Trustee of the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund. However, the Secretary of the Fund has provided the following information:
| Organisations | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | St Michaels and All Angels Church, Foulridge |
| New Life Christian Centre, Colne | |
| Home Start, Pendle | |
| Pendle Girls Rugby League Club | |
| Nelson Youth and Community Centre | |
| Nelson Civic Junior Choir | |
| 2001 | Hospice care for Burnley and Pendle |
| Earby Mines Research Trust | |
| Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale CVS | |
| Pendle and Dist. MS Group | |
| 2002 | Christ Church, Nelson |
| Earby Coffee Stop | |
| New Road Comm. Centre, Earby | |
| 2003 | Colourful Voices, Colrie |
| Colne Open Door |
Government Policy
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his role is (a) as the interface between the Labour Party and the Government and (b) in providing the Prime Minister with strategic thinking on the general direction of Government policy and the values underpinning it. [137192]
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Mr. Alexander: My ministerial responsibilities are set out in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities (LMR), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. LMR is also available in electronic form and can be accessed at www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/elmr/minister.nsf.
Knowledge Network Project
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will list, by subject, the statistics that have been collected for the first time at constituency level under the Knowledge Network project, stating in each case the date on which the first in the series was completed; if he will place a copy of the most recent of each set of statistics listed in the Library; and if he will make a statement; [135301]
- (2) which information held on the Knowledge Network computer system will not be available to (a) the public and (b) hon. Members; and if he will make a statement; [135305]
(3) what the cost has been to date of the new Knowledge Network system; and if he will make a statement. [135306]
Mr. Alexander: The Knowledge Network is a government-wide electronic communications tool promoting collaborative working both within and between departments as part of the modernisation and e-government initiatives. The Network does not collect statistics by subject at constituency level.
Access to the Knowledge Network is restricted to Ministers and civil servants via the Government Secure Intranet. There is currently no access to the Knowledge Network other than for these groups. The UKonline website provides a range of government services and information to the public and is an easy entry point for people who want to search government information and find out about local services.
Since its inception in 1999, the Knowledge Network project has cost £13.7 million to develop and manage. £10 million of this was from the Capital Modernisation Fund to improve information sharing across Government.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act
Brian White: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what statutory investigatory powers the Department has; which ones will be superseded by use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and what plans he has for removing these legacy powers. [136127]
Mr. Alexander: My Department has no investigatory powers.
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TREASURY
Business Costs
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost to business of the statistical inquiries of businesses carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 2002; and if he will make a statement. [136798]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 6 November 2003]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 November 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the cost to business of the statistical inquiries of businesses carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 2002. I am replying in his absence. (136798)
- The overall compliance costs to business are controlled within limits agreed by Treasury Ministers and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Each year ONS produces a Compliance Plan to help monitor and control the load on businesses of its statistical surveys. It also includes information on initiatives to minimise the form-filling load, such as the use of efficient and fair sampling procedures.
- Between 1994 and 1997 compliance costs showed a progressive decrease. However from 1998 onwards compliance costs have risen steadily, as a result of the need for high quality statistics to capture changes in the economy, such as the development of E-commerce and the increasingly important service sector.
- The latest compliance plan has calculated the compliance cost to business of ONS surveys in 2002 at £28.9 million at 2002 prices, which was within the agreed limit. The figure is the same as 1995 in real terms.
Heroin
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much heroin, and of what value, has been seized in (a) Tyne and Wear, (b) the North East and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [138432]
John Healey: The Home Office has published data on controlled drugs seized in the UK by Customs and other law enforcement agencies in the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Drugs Seizure and Offender Statistics 2000 and Home Office Findings 2002 (Seizures of drugs in the UK 2001). Figures for seizures in 2002, for the value of drugs seized in 2001, and for seizures in Tyne and Wear are not available. Copies are available in the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate's website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb402.pdf.
Business Taxation
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the rate of change in the burden of business taxation in (a) the UK, (b) Japan, (c) the USA and (d) EU member states; [137604]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the burden of business taxation in (a) the UK and (b) the USA. [137605]
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Dawn Primarolo: The OECD publishes figures on "taxes on corporate income" and "employers' social security contributions" in its annual Revenue Statistics publication, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
The Government are fully committed to a fair and modern UK tax system that recognises the realities of modern business. Since 1997, the Government have introduced a wide-ranging package of tax measures to make the UK an attractive place for business to locate, boost productivity and help small businesses.
Cancer Survival Rates
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned on cancer survival rates in the United Kingdom compared with other EU countries. [133894]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 27 October 2003]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 17 November 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what research the Chancellor of the Exchequer has commissioned on cancer survival rates in the United Kingdom compared with other EU countries. I am replying in his absence. (133894)
- Comparable statistics on cancer survival in the UK and most other EU countries have been produced in three studies funded by the European Commission (the EUROCARE studies). Cancer registries in the UK, including staff from the National Registry at ONS, have been involved in these studies since they began in 1989.
- The results indicated that survival was generally highest in Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland, and lowest in Estonia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Survival in the UK and Denmark was lower than in other western European countries for common tumours such as those of lung, breast, stomach, large bowel, prostate and kidney. However, international differences in survival were not large for tumours amenable to cytotoxic therapy, such as testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease.
- Government plans for funding cancer research were published in the NHS Cancer Plan in September 2000; copies of which are available in the Library. The Plan acknowledged that "survival rates for many of the major cancers lag behind the rest of Europe".
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